March 03, 2008 08:59 ET

ORLive Presents: Anterior Hip Replacement Muscle-Sparing Surgery Offers Accelerated Recovery Time, Less Discomfort

Live Webcast: From Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital: March 26, 2008 12:00 PM CDT (17:00 UTC)

OCONOMOWOC, WI--(Marketwire - March 3, 2008) - ProHealth Care will continue its educational Webcast series with the live online broadcast of an anterior hip replacement surgery at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, March 26, at noon on www.OR-Live.com. This will be the fourth in a series of Webcasts that offer patients and consumers a first-hand look at both routine and state-of-the-art surgeries occurring at ProHealth Care hospitals.

Matthew Bong, MD, orthopedic surgeon, will perform the anterior hip replacement surgery, Daniel Holub, MD, orthopedic surgeon, will assist, and Scott Schneider, MD, orthopedic surgeon, will moderate. Viewers will have the opportunity to send questions directly to the operating room during the surgery.

Anterior hip replacement is one of the newest procedures available to ProHealth Care Orthopedic Center patients needing hip replacement surgery. Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital was the first in the metro-Milwaukee area to offer this minimally invasive surgery using the HANA table. The special operating table allows the surgeon to more effectively move the leg during surgery to best position the hip socket, ball and femur insert for proper fit. The HANA table also allows the surgeon to take X-rays during the procedure to ensure precise fit and placement of all components.

"Most patients who are candidates for traditional hip replacement surgery are also candidates for the anterior procedure," Dr. Bong says.

Patients benefit from the anterior approach to hip replacement in a number of ways:

--  Accelerated recovery time.
--  Fewer restrictions during recovery. Patients can often more freely
    bend their hip and bear their full weight immediately or very soon after
    surgery.
--  Possible reduced scarring. The anterior approach allows for one
    relatively small incision.
--  Less discomfort during the recovery period.
    

ProHealth Care has partnered with surgical broadcast leader OR-Live out of West Hartford, Connecticut, to produce this live event.

For more information, a preview of the event, interviews with our surgeons, and to access replays of previous ProHealth Care Webcasts, including a knee replacement, brain surgery and robotic prostatectomy, visit www.prohealthcare.org/OR.

About ProHealth Care

ProHealth Care is a regional critical and primary care provider with nationally recognized programs and physicians, and ranks among the most technologically and clinically advanced community health care systems in the country. Its integrated health network includes Waukesha Memorial, a tertiary care hospital and Oconomowoc Memorial, an acute care hospital; 28 ProHealth Care Medical Centers and Medical Associates locations; home health care and hospice services; assisted and independent living communities and West Wood Health and Fitness Center. ProHealth Care's comprehensive services include a Neuroscience Center, Regional Cancer Center, Heart Center, CyberKnife Center, level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit, Center for Breast Care, Women's Center and Orthopedic Center.

For almost a century, ProHealth Care has been the major provider of health services in Waukesha County and today remains the only community-rooted health care system in Southeast Wisconsin. ProHealth Care's mission is to serve residents of Waukesha County and surrounding areas with the highest quality care at a reasonable cost.

A leader in community education and providing hospital cost and quality information to consumers, ProHealth Care was the first in the state, and one of the first in the nation, to publish charges for hospital procedures and the first to provide a Consumer Inquiry Line that provides consumers with hospital charge information online or through a call center. ProHealth Care is proud to be the largest employer in Waukesha County. Visit www.prohealthcare.org for more information.

Visit: http://www.or-live.com/prohealthcare/2189 to learn more and view a program preview. VNR: http://www.or-live.com/rams/wam-2189-mkw-q.ram